University
of Delaware Signs Eight Student-Athletes
for the 2006 Baseball
Season
Dae:
November 29, 2004
NEWARK,
DE -- University of Delaware baseball head
coach Jim Sherman has announced the
signing of eight student-athletes who have
committed to Delaware and will attend
school in fall of 2005.
Of
the eight, seven are prep players and one
is a junior college player. Alex Buchholz
(Millersville, MD/Old Mill), Paul Chmiel
(Pittston Twp., PA/Pittston Area), Kyle
Davis (Ewing, NJ/Ewing), Ryan Engelhart
(Newtown, PA/Baltimore City Community
College), Bill Merkler (South Plainfield,
NJ/South Plainfield), Brad Miller
(Ellicott City, MD/Mt. St. Joseph's), Dan
Overcash (Wyndmoor, PA/Germantown Academy)
and Drue Thomas (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) are
expected to become members of the baseball
team beginning in the spring of
2006.
Buchholz,
is a 5-11 160-pound right-handed hitting
infielder who is coached by Mel Montgomery
at Old Mill High School. A three-sport
standout, Buchholz was a first team
all-county performer his junior year,
hitting .485 and fielding .978 in leading
Old Mill to a county championship. In his
sophomore season, he was second team
all-county and lead the team with a .449
average in route to winning the Maryland
4A state championship. This past fall,
Buchholz helped the Old Mill soccer team
to a state runner-up finish as the second
leading scorer on the team. As a
basketball player, Buchholz holds the
school records for points in a game (51),
three-pointers in a game (11), and steals
in a game (8).
Chmiel
is a 6-5 200-pound left-handed hitting
first baseman who is coached by Paul
Zaffuto at Pittston Area High School. This
past fall, Chmiel played for the Moosic
Mets Scout Team and hit .459 with eight
homeruns, 13 doubles, and 35 runs batted
in. As a junior at Pittston Area, Chmiel
was namedfirst team all-conference while
hitting .426 with seven doubles, three
home runs and 16 RBI in 17 games. Last
summer, he hit .405 with five doubles, two
home runs and 23 RBI in 25 games for the
Plains American Legion. Chmiel also plays
basketball at Pittston Area and was named
a first team all-conference basketball
player in his junior year.
Davis
is a 5-11 165-pound switch-hitting middle
infielder who is coached by Jim Kovalsky
at Ewing High School. Perfect Game USA
lists Davis as the second best middle
infield prospect in New Jersey. Davis
played this past fall for an Atlanta
Braves Scout team that went 23-5. In his
junior season, Davis hit .472 with 17
stolen bases and 15 doubles, scoring 26
runs in 21 games for Ewing. During his
junior season, Davis was named a first
team all league and all area shortstop.
Davis also serves as the captain of the
Ewing High School basketball
team.
Engelhart
is a 6-0 200-pound right-handed hitting
sophomore catcher who is coached by Lance
Manek at Baltimore City Community College.
Engelhart will bring Division I catching
experience with him to Delaware. As a
college freshman, Engelhart played at
Liberty University where he started 26
games behind the plate. This past summer,
Engelhart played in the Shenandoah Valley
League for the Staunton Braves who
finished with a 34-19 record and a second
place finish. As a senior at Council Rock
North High School, Engelhart was team Most
Valuable Player while he hit .475 while
leading Council Rock North to a 23-2
record.
Merkler
is a 6-4 200-pound right-handed hitting
catcher who is coached by Ray Ciecwisz at
South Plainfield High School. Merkler
played this past fall for a Colorado
Rockies Scout team. In his junior season,
he helped lead South Plainfield to an 18-8
record, a division championship, and a
state sectional final appearance. Merkler
was named as the all-division catcher and
was the division Defensive Player of the
Year. Merkler played in the East Coast
Professional Showcase Games this past
summer.
Miller
is a 6-4 180-pound right-handed pitcher
coached by Dave Norton at Mount St.
Joseph's High School. Miller pitched for
the Baltimore Orioles Scout Team this past
fall and in his junior season, helped lead
Mt. St. Joe to a 28-6 record, a conference
championship, and a No. 6 ranking in the
Eastern Region of the United States
according to USA Today. Miller was the
winning pitcher in the Maryland state
championship game, pitching a
complete-game shutout. He finished his
junior year with a 4-2 record, a 3.34 ERA,
and 42 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched.
This past summer, Miller helped lead the
Chesapeake Clippers to a 35-5 record and a
trip to the NABF 17&18 year-old World
Series.where he was named to the
All-Tournament Team. Miller finished his
summer with a 6-1 record, a 1.85 ERA, and
41 strikeouts in 34 innings
pitched.
Overcash
is a 6-0 190-pound right-handed hitting
utility player who is coached by Craig
Conlin at Germantown Academy. Overcash
helped lead Germantown Academy to a 32-2
record, a prep state championship, and a
sixth place finish in USA Today's Top 25
High School Baseball Top 25 Poll. During
his junior year, Overcash hit .340 with 32
RBI, four home runs, and 17 stolen bases.
This past summer, Overcash played for the
Ft. Washington Generals American Legion
team which finished with a 26-14 record.
For the summer, Overcash hit .402 with 28
RBI.
Thomas
is a 6-2 180-pound right-handed hitting
utility player who is coached by Joe
Hughes at Oneonta High School. In his
junior season, Thomas hit .492 while being
named to the first team Daily Star
All-Conference first team and to the New
York All-State Team as chosen by the
NYSSWA. Last summer, Thomas played for
Post 259 American Legion and played in the
Empire State Games.
-DDD-
Copyright,
© 2004, University of Delaware. All
rights reserved.
Please
direct Athletics questions to the
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